Accessibility

Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

Universal Declarations of Human Rights, 1948 | Article XXVII

In recent years, the European Commission has raised awareness about the need for inclusion of persons with deficiencies and, as an action priority, correspondingly developing diverse action plans.
Considering how access to arts and culture is a right for all citizens irrespective of their characteristics and capacities, Parques de Sintra – Monte da Lua deemed turning the Cultural and Natural Heritage of the properties under its management into inclusive access a fundamental priority.
Parques de Sintra is currently implementing the “Parques de Sintra Welcome Better” project, which seeks to raise the standards of access to the properties under its management and establish them as an example of best practice in accessible tourism and correspondingly providing equality of opportunity in accessing this natural and built heritage.

This project, involving overall investment in the region of €2 million, with 25% co-financing from Turismo de Portugal, took as its point of departure research into the current state of global practices and to this end drawing on various national associations of relevance to this theme, in particular ACAPO (the Portuguese Association of the Blind and the Partially Sighted), APS (the Portuguese Association of the Deaf) and the Salvador Association, with a protocol signed with each entity. This also led to the recruiting of a grant holding doctoral degree student to carry out research into best practices, analyse case studies and the different products available in the global marketplace. Hence, this correspondingly defined the best strategy and selected the best options in accordance with the intended impacts and outcomes.

This project spans three different dimensions to access:
– Physically, improving the mobility conditions providing an autonomous and safe visit to all with physical adaptations to the outdoor and interior environments and the acquisition of new equipment;
– Information, improving communication and irrespective of visitor characteristics;
– Services, providing more and better services catering to diversified publics including persons with deficiencies and guaranteeing a more effective level of cultural knowledge transmission.

In addition to the partnerships established with the already mentioned Portuguese associations, Parques de Sintra also became a member of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). The main mission of this institution involves rendering European tourism destinations and their respective services accessible to all visitors, making available techniques and sharing information and generally striving towards meeting the commitment towards equality of opportunity in the access to tourism and culture. Parques de Sintra also became a member of the Acesso Cultura Association at the end of 2014.

PREPARING YOUR VISIT
The company’s commitments to Social Responsibility also reflects in its pricing policy with a 70% reduction in the ticket price for registered disabled persons at the Convent of the Capuchos and the National Palace of Sintra with a 50% discount prevailing at other Parks and Palaces. Persons requesting such discounts should always present on request an appropriate form of identification. Whenever strictly necessary and duly justified, the person accompanying a visitor with some type of disability enters free of charge.

Please consult the price table in effect.

Please click here to download the Parques de Sintra Welcome Better project brochure

The information made available on this site enables a priori decisions over points of access whilst also setting out the right to equal opportunities. You may consult information on the physical access conditions on each site, the guided tours and the other services currently available through pre-booking that provide for a better means of enjoying these sites by persons with mobility restrictions.

We would thoroughly recommend prior consultation and booking services so as to ensure you are welcomed as completely as possible. For further information, please contact us via email at [email protected] or by telephone +351 21 923 73 00 should you be requiring any additional clarification.

Note: Assistance dogs are allowed on site when properly identified. Drinking bowls are available for the assistance dogs.